Gather round for the next installment of our annual Shopmas tradition. These are some of the more fun or amusing things I managed to stumble across in my travels.

Lots of great feedback about the last lists — you can see part one and part two here — so here is our third round of Shopmas ideas for those of you who have loved ones on your holiday shopping list who have been very, very good.

This won’t be out until next week (Dec 18), but I so totally adore this wicked, dark series of obsession with truth-telling and self destructive behavior I had to mention it now. The entire alcohol fueled dysfunction is a joy to watch unfold.

Sophisticated and unique, this comedy centers on novelist David Duchovny who tries to pursue his career, raise his 13-year-old daughter, and bed every California hottie, all the while still carrying a torch for his ex-wife.

WireCutter called the Velodyne vPulses “the best value under $100 earbuds when judged by two central earbud criteria: how comfortable they are to wear and how they sound in the real world, compared to other headphones in this price range.”

Bonus: Wirecutter’s pick for the best Headphones that cost under $30 were these Monoprice 8320 in-ear monitors. A ridiculous $8.38! “These things destroyed our old favorites and the favorites of others, when we tested them side by side”

In a pinch, a real last minute gift idea is Amazon Gift Cards. I normally dislike gift cards, but these never expire and Amazon’s selection of stuff is enormous. And since its over $25, you get free shipping.

Now that Weed is becoming quasi-legal, its time some of you learned that smoking ganga actually does cause health issues. The solution is to avoid smoking — and vaporize.

I found this cool looking piece of hardware in this crazy good Wired review here.

The Pax heats but never burns your “tobacco” releasing a delicious vapor. Using Pax is as easy as 1-2-3 (see video).

One of their stoner clients says: “Easy to use, very solid and high quality. Feels right when you have it in your hand. Taste is awesome without the harshness. Extremely satisfied and not disappointed at all.”

Since the 12/12/12 concert is tonite, how can I not at least give mention to the the Stones?

Since they first went on stage Thursday 12 July 1962 at the Marquee Club in London’s Oxford Street, fifty years have past. Over that period, the Stones have performed live in front of more people than any band… ever.

Curated, introduced and narrated by the band themselves, The Rolling Stones 50 is the only officially authorized book to celebrate this milestone.

I stumbled across this hidden store front in Long Island City by accident some years ago after a restaurateur buddy turned me on to them. Paramount supplies many major restaurants and hotels their caviar for year round as well as for New Year’s Eve.

Paddlefish $20

Bulgarian Osetra $85 per ounce

Kaluga Caviar 1 Ounce $185.00

Its all topnotch stuff.

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• Sonos All-in-One Wireless Music Player $300 + $500 +$50

I have been using a Sonos system since last year, and its been pretty awesome. It wirelessly streams from my home computer to a pair of the speakers (living room, dining room) but you can put up to in each different room — my full audio catalog, plus Pandora, Napster, and most other audio sources. (I seem to use it mostly with Pandora).

Please use the comments to demonstrate your own ignorance, unfamiliarity with empirical data and lack of respect for scientific knowledge. Be sure to create straw men and argue against things I have neither said nor implied. If you could repeat previously discredited memes or steer the conversation into irrelevant, off topic discussions, it would be appreciated. Lastly, kindly forgo all civility in your discourse . . . you are, after all, anonymous.

“…The denunciation of the Red Cross by Staten Island Borough President James Molinaro, covered by “Democracy Now!”, largely affirms this feeling of neglect permeating the community:

…I’ve got to tell you, as the borough president of Staten Island, of a half-a-million people, I am disappointed at some of these not-for-profit organizations that collect lots and lots of money from Staten Islanders and didn’t respond, and one of them being this American Red Cross. I have not seen the American Red Cross at a shelter. I have not seen them down south shore, where people are buried in their own homes, have nothing to eat, have nothing to drink…”http://dissenter.firedoglake.com/2012/11/05/occupy-sandy-relief-fills-void-fema-red-cross-are-unable-to-fill/

“…The denunciation of the Red Cross by Staten Island Borough President James Molinaro, covered by “Democracy Now!”, largely affirms this feeling of neglect permeating the community:

…I’ve got to tell you, as the borough president of Staten Island, of a half-a-million people, I am disappointed at some of these not-for-profit organizations that collect lots and lots of money from Staten Islanders and didn’t respond, and one of them being this American Red Cross. I have not seen the American Red Cross at a shelter. I have not seen them down south shore, where people are buried in their own homes, have nothing to eat, have nothing to drink…”

“…The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the American Red Cross rented out more than 45 hotel rooms at New York City’s Soho Grand Hotel while providing relief after Superstorm Sandy.

Even with the discounted nightly rate of $310, they report, by the time the relief workers check out on Friday the bill for just the Red Cross will be a shocking $181,000.

Surprisingly for some, the Red Cross actually rented out 45 of the rooms at this particular hotel, and FEMA only rented out 3.

Founded in 1944, Heifer Project International is a sustainable development organization that works to end hunger and poverty and protect the earth. Through livestock, training and Passing on the Gift, Heifer has helped 15.5 million families in more than 125 countries improve their quality of life and move toward greater self-reliance. Heifer helps build strong communities because each project participant Passes on the Gift of their animal’s first female offspring, training in its care and in sustainable agriculture to another family in need, multiplying the benefit.http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=3809
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“…Make a Difference in Your Own Backyard

Poverty and hunger in the U.S. may look different than in other places of the world, but the tragic toll on people, communities and the environment is the same. By supporting Heifer International’s Seeds of Change initiative, you can help limited-resource Americans become more self-reliant and economically stable, healthier and better stewards of the land so it can sustain generations to come.

Project Profile

Heifer’s Seeds of Change will initially focus on two of the most severely impoverished areas in the U.S., the Arkansas Delta and Appalachia. These regions are marked by fertile soil and strong agricultural traditions, but small-scale farmers there still find it hard to make a living.

As a result, many people in the Arkansas Delta and Appalachia are malnourished and Seeds of Change aims to boost nutrition and economies by creating jobs and improving access to healthy, locally produced food — especially for low-income families — as well as to improve the environment by supporting responsible agricultural practices.

“The 80 percent of American households that make annual charitable contributions increasingly demand a return on their investment. The simpler days of a United Way payroll deduction (“I gave at the office”) are being quickly supplanted by more sophisticated givers and a complex and growing field of getters.

“To almost any donor–whether they are giving $25, $500, $10,000 or $100,000–the money they are giving is a significant gift,” said John Keightley, executive vice president of Catholic Charities USA. “They want an organization that is going to have an impact, that is going to make a difference.”

Franciscan Sr. Georgette Lehmuth, a 20-year veteran of Catholic fundraising efforts and president of the National Catholic Development Conference, agrees. “Donors are more astute than they used to be,” she said.

As well they should be, given the changes in the charitable marketplace. Charity is big business.

Individual Americans contributed more than $200 billion to nonprofit groups last year, while corporations and foundations pitched in an additional $41 billion, according to Independent Sector, a Washington-based coalition of 550 nonprofit organizations. These “501(c)(3)” organizations–so-called because of their tax-exempt status flows from that section of the Internal Revenue code–control assets of $2.5 trillion, according to the IRS, while 9 percent of the U.S. workforce is employed by a nonprofit…”
March 10, 2006http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-143719460.html?key=01-42160D517E19106A140B0B1B006E4B36254D35463B78700E730E0B60641A617F1371193F

[...] Gather round for the Trader version of our Shopmas suggestions. These aren’t the usual Bull & Bear cliches you typically see — its all good stuff for the trader in your life. (You can see out earlier suggestions: part one, part two and part three) [...]

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About Barry Ritholtz

Ritholtz has been observing capital markets with a critical eye for 20 years. With a background in math & sciences and a law school degree, he is not your typical Wall St. persona. He left Law for Finance, working as a trader, researcher and strategist before graduating to asset managementRead More...

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